Discover the new animated film from stop motion masters Laika.
Something which has really inspired me recently are the trailers for the film Wildwood by Laika.
If you’re not aware, Laika specialise in stop motion animation and they really are masters of the craft.
Rather than taking a traditional approach to film trailers, they’ve instead chosen to show some of the behind the scenes process for making the film.
In 3D computer animation, we have the luxury of being able to gradually refine our work. We can create a rough blocking pass, adjust poses, adjust the timing and spacing, and then layer on additional detail such as drag and follow through on hair or clothing.
Hand drawn animation offers similar flexibility, but there are no such luxuries with stop motion. The entire shot must be animated straight ahead, from start to finish, with all elements being worked on at once.
Given the complexity of characters like “The General”, featured in the Wildwood trailer, this process requires extremely talented animators and it’s fantastic to see their skills being featured so prominently.
As much as I love 3D computer animation, I can’t help feeling a pang of jealousy every time I see stop motion animators interacting with their characters within their physical sets.
The explosion of generative AI has led to more and more artists emphasising the fact that their work is “human made”. If things don't change course, I feel that showing the behind the scenes process will become increasing valuable as a way of distinguishing human creativity from AI generated alternatives.
In that light, it seems a wise choice for Laika to focus the marketing of this film on the incredible artistry of those who are working to bring it to life.
It’s also interesting to see just how much emphasis they’ve placed upon the importance of observation and reference within these featurettes.
This is something which I constantly recommend within my courses and these videos provide a really good reminder that, to create animation at the highest level of quality, you must first start by observing the tiny details in the world around you.
Regardless of the medium which you choose to work within, all forms of animation are based upon the same principles.
Whilst stop motion has a unique workflow, it relies upon the exact same understanding of the foundations and mechanics of animation, combined with an understanding of performance.
If you’d like to master these crucial skills, my comprehensive animation courses and one-on-one mentorships will teach you everything you need to know.
